1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information technologies. More particularly, the invention relates to a method for producing a data structure for password identification employing a dynamic graphic user interface.
2. Prior Art
In recent years more individuals have begun to rely on technologies such as personal computers, smart phones, tablets, and other devices in work as well as in their personal lives. Many of these individuals maintain personal information stored in these devices including addresses, passwords, emails, phone numbers, bank accounts, credit cards, social security numbers, family and friends information, and the like.
It is conventionally known that these electronic devices can require a password identification to allow the user access to the device and to the data stored within or accessible thereby. This password requirement is most commonly encountered by the user on the ‘logging in’ screen of the devices, which occurs during the initial boot up of the software of the device. However, for added security, many individuals will also password protect select files, emails, and other desired information which should be confidential.
The reason for password protection is quite simple in that the device the owner wishes to prevent an intruder, such as a third party hacker, thief, or the like, from gaining access to a device and obtaining personal information or access to confidential or personal information which the access to the device may provide. Otherwise, with the appropriate information gleaned from such an encounter, an intruder can assume the device owner's identity online.
Identity theft and computer fraud, thus, is one major concern, since a hacker or thief who obtains access to a computing device providing access to the owner's personal information such as a credit card number or social security number, can immediately begin charging to a credit card or open a new and fraudulent credit line. Password protection of selected files and electronic directories, and/or accessible files or information, and of the device itself, is an owner's attempt to prevent such crimes from happening.
However, password protection is conventionally limited to a single data string input, such as alphanumeric characters, symbols, numbers, and combinations thereof. The user or device owner is required to remember that data string in order to input it correctly and gain access to their device, their email, their protected folder, their network connection, and the like.
Many pitfalls are present with this conventional method. First, the user may have difficulty remembering the password which is a common problem. This forgetfulness can cause a severe problem if the password is required for that user to access their device, or achieve access to a remote website. In such cases the user must navigate through tedious steps for obtaining a new password which conventionally involves answering personal questions, and inputting other personal data over the network or into the device, to authenticate and validate their identity.
As a result, in order to avoid this re-validation process, some individuals will choose passwords which are easy to remember and simple in nature. This of course provides minimal protection against theft, and frequently such easy passwords can be discerned by a smart thief who surveys the user's FACEBOOK page which is known to publish personal information about the user.
An additional pitfall is that single data string passwords can easily be captured during transmission on the network, or otherwise discovered by third party hackers with computer abilities, or with research and trial and error input. Once a user's password is obtained, all personal information for the user will be at an unauthorized party's fingertips as well as any other sensitive information the user's device may access. Hackers are getting better at obtaining personal information, especially on unprotected wireless networks as is often provided in popular public places like cafes, restaurants, and the like. Or as noted, hackers are known to ascertain passwords and the like for users by surveying a user's FACEBOOK page, or a similar social network page, where the user may have unwittingly posted the password to remember it, or information such as their kid's names, or dog's name, or birthday, which would lead to a guessing of the password.
Still further, some users who are more security conscious may continuously change their passwords. Although this method may help to keep a hacker or thief at bay, it of course may lead the user to forgetting the changed password and having to go through the noted tedious steps of proving their identification. As one can discern, in an era of ever-faster networks and hotspots, and network eavesdropping software with easy access by multiple users, the task of personal information security is becoming more daunting than it should be.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need for a method employing software adapted at the task, of producing a data structure or string for password identification, which will provide security, but also provide only specific individual users with the ability to use it, and to more easily remember or discern their password. Such a system should endeavor to employ a continuously changing, user-viewable, graphic user interface (GUI) as a means for identifying the user as authorized and/or their password and/or changing their password, and providing a means for the user to identify their changed authorization. Such a method should produce a different required data structure (password) personal only to each user, at each authentication session (i.e. log in), thereby allowing the user to employ this dynamically changing GUI, to determine the current password based upon pre-defined code criteria, and/or to act as the interface for communication of the appropriate password information to the system requiring it. Such a system should provide a means for generating or requiring ever changing passwords for users which can only be determined by the user's predefined criteria, and because the password or GUI is so personal to the user, concurrently render hackers and identity thieves alike unable to obtain user information. Such a method should also employ broadcast communication encryption.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.